Just the symbolism of getting their ace healthy for Opening Day was a big deal, but the Mets received the bonus package yesterday: Johan Santana resembled Johan Santana.

Five innings in his first major league start in 19 months was great, but no such qualifier was needed to describe the quality of Santana’s pitches. He was hitting spots and keeping the Braves guessing over 84 pitches.

Add four strong innings from a rebuilt bullpen, and it spelled a 1-0 victory for the Mets before an announced sellout of 42,080 — though there were pockets of empty seats — at Citi Field.

“Finally I had an opportunity to go out there in a game that counts and definitely get it out of the way,” Santana said after five shutout innings in which he allowed two hits and two walks and struck out five. “It was real important, and it was good.”

The Mets would have loved getting Santana through six innings, but those thoughts disappeared when the lefty walked No. 8 hitter Tyler Pastornicky and pitcher Tommy Hanson, loading the bases with two outs in the fifth. Santana rebounded to retire Michael Bourn on a comebacker, but with his pitch count at 84 he was declared finished.

David Wright’s RBI single in the sixth against Hanson was enough offense to give the Mets a sixth victory in their last seven season openers.

Ramon Ramirez, Tim Byrdak, Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco allowed the 1-0 lead to stand. All but Byrdak were added in December by general manager Sandy Alderson.

“The guys we went out and got last year made Sandy look pretty good today,” manager Terry Collins said.

Byrdak recorded perhaps the biggest outs of the game, striking out Jose Constanza and Bourn to end the seventh after Pastornicky had tripled to center off Ramirez. On the play, center fielder Andres Torres aggravated a left calf injury and was subsequently removed from the game. He will be placed on the disabled list today or tomorrow.

All told, Byrdak, Rauch and Francisco combined to retire eight straight batters. Rauch and Francisco were among the Mets’ biggest spring training disappointments, but there was no carryover yesterday.

“You can’t ask for anything better, knowing it was the perfect situation to show some negative people out there that we can do it,” Francisco said. “I believe that we’re going to win a lot of more games like that.”

Collins said he went to Ramirez in the sixth because of the righty’s success against lefty hitters. Ramirez allowed two hits and a walk over 1 1/3 innings, and needed to be bailed out by Byrdak, who is less than a month removed from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

“We’re all down there and we’re all prepared to throw whenever we get the phone call,” Rauch said. “If it happens to be in the fifth or the eighth I think we’re all going to accept what we’re given and go out there and do our best to get guys out and not try to read anymore into it.”

Santana was sailing with one out in the fifth, having allowed only one base runner, before Matt Diaz doubled and two walks loaded the bases. After Santana escaped the jam, he lobbied for another inning, but Collins said no.

The Mets would like to keep Santana, who missed last season recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder, near 90 pitches per game early in the season.

“He is by far one of the greatest competitors I’ve ever been around,” Collins said. “He did exactly what we thought he would do. I knew he would throw the ball over the plate, but he just doesn’t give in to anybody. It’s amazing.”